New Delhi, August 3
In an open admission of increasing factionalism, indiscipline and bickerings for posts and poll tickets among the party rank and file, the BJP today gave a call for honest introspection and remedial action to galvanise the party ahead of the Assembly elections due in 10 states, including Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir.In its ‘Delhi pledge’ adopted at the party National Council meeting which concluded here, the party — as part of its five-point agenda — also resolved to consolidate regional-social expansion, become a via media between the people and the government, create exemplary mass leaders and develop the mindset of a “ruling party”.
“Factionalism; internal bickerings for posts, positions and party tickets in elections; indiscipline; and a lack of adequate consultation with, and participation of workers in the party’s functioning — these have impaired some state and local units of the party organisation from time to time,” the party said. “The damage to the party’s image in the eyes of the people is sometimes worsened by the breach of probity by some of our elected representatives,” it said.
While blaming the Congress and other parties for polluting the environment with a “culture of scandals and power games”, the party said: “We are aware that some of these negative traits and trends have also crept into the BJP’s organisation and functioning in recent years. Our party has had to pay a heavy price wherever these have assumed dominant proportions.”
Asserting that it retained the capacity to take remedial action when needed, the party pledged to intensify its vigilance against all these “malignancies”.
“We have to especially learn lessons from how these negative traits have contributed in a major way to the decline of the Congress party,” the party said.
“The principal task before the party was to “revitalise the organisation at all levels through introspection and prompt remedial action,” it said.
The party said the most urgent task before it was to gear up the party machinery “to win a renewed mandate in the states where Assembly elections will be held soon, and to win in other states that will go to polls next year.”
“Our objectives are clear and straightforward: consolidation of our support base in traditional regions and social groups, and simultaneous expansion of our influence in ever-newer parts of India and Indian society,” the pledge said.
Giving a clarion call to “go to the villages”, it said: “We should expand the scope of our activities among farmers in rural areas...we should especially redouble our efforts to increase our party’s work among the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBCs and the most backward among the OBCs and women of all classes.”
It ruled out the adoption of any method of appeasement to attract the minorities, pointing out that “our adversaries” motivated and self-serving propaganda that the BJP is anti-minorities is unsustainable because no falsehood can ever live forever.”
“We shall zealously work for justice for minorities in all matters, without any discrimination vis-a-vis other citizens. We shall also pay renewed attention to their special problems and concerns with fairness and sensitivity,” the pledge said.
The party also resolved to “master the two-way communication by becoming a living and ever-vigilant link between the government and the people.”
It said one of the important tasks before the party was the grooming of leaders with a broad mass appeal at different levels.
In an honest confession, the party said since assuming office at the Centre in 1998, “we have realised the need, at all levels of the organisation, for making a mental transition from being a party of the Opposition to a ruling party.”
“We must realise that the people’s expectations from us are very high. Our people are no longer swayed by empty promises. They want those in power to solve their pressing and long standing problems. They reward good performers and punish those who are perceived to be bad performers,” the pledge said.
Delineating the “five tasks before the government”, the party urged the NDA regime to intensify the fight against Pakistan-sponsored cross-border terrorism, “with all means at its command, so that Pakistan is forced to back off permanently from its dangerous and self-destructive reliance on terrorism and religious extremism as an instrument of its Kashmir policy.”
The party asked the government to follow up on its ambitious goal of achieving 8 per cent GDP growth.
It also asked the government to consider starting a few major initiatives in the Railways, power, irrigation, drinking water and rural infrastructure, besides “improving the working of the existing social security schemes and launching new ones for the various categories of the poor and middle class.”
Reminding the government of the “solemn promise we had made to the electorate to create one crore new employment opportunities in the economy”, the party asked it to improve the monitoring of its employment and self-employment programmes and direct banks to fully support economic empowerment of the poor through self-help groups.
It also called upon the government to pay urgent attention to difficulties facing the small-scale sector, reform labour laws and safeguard the interests of existing workers.
The party also amended its constitution, authorising the party president to have 40 per cent nomination to the National Council in place of the prevailing 30 per cent. The amendment was moved by party Vice-President Pyarelal Khandelwal.
